Origins II

The first Oba of Benin was a scion of a Yoruba prince, that is a fact of history that will come to be accepted in due time, but there is no dispute as to the first Ooni of Ife (and the founder of the Yorubas as they are known today in historical analysis and study) who was a Bini prince. The history of these two nations located in the western coast of Africa are as related as siblings from the same womb.

Selfishly, claimants of ethno/tribal nationalities propose sentimentalities as to the origins of these two nations who asserted themselves creditably at a time where contact with the west was nonexistent or at most minimal. The Binis and Yorubas were companions in the same migratory journey from the north of the continent and as some scholars of history would conclude settled in the region they now find themselves at almost the same time in history.

It is significant to point out here the similarities that they share in their mythology and legends, moreso as they believe in similar spiritual beliefs of a coterie of deities with one supreme being at the head.

Prior to the advent of the Obaship, the Ogisos were saddled with the responsibility of overseeing the governance of the peoples and like all civilisations would evolve to a system of unitary leadership. This was to occur soon after the yearning of the people saw to the ascendency of the primogeniture system of monarchy with the Oba at the head. However, while the Ogisos were thriving, the people further west were at a stage where political organisation was at it's infancy which led to the need for a central authority that conveniently provided itself with the coming of the hitherto Bini prince condemned to die but divinely let free by his executors to fulfill a long expected prophecy of the Yorubas.

It is this first Ooni of Ife that sent his son from a Yoruba woman to commence the monarchy in Benin, and this monarchy has lasted till the present day.

There is an ethno/tribal struggle for supremacy amongst contemporary scholars of these two nations albeit misdirected, up to the point that the Yorubas claim ancestry with the Itsekiris of the delta denying the bond that ties them with Benin. It is worthy of note however that rational thinking contemporary scholars with no room for bias have begun a process for the study of what binds these two peoples together and not the divisive elements which tend to create differentiation. This is a study that should throw more light on the origins of these two peoples.

It is this hope that should see the strenghtening of ties between these two great African civilisations instead of the constant bickerings that have been fuelled by historical accounts originating from European historians, thus unduly influencing the approach to the study of these peoples by generations of indigenous history and anthropology scholars.

Edo Maiden

Sweet Edo maiden
Clean of mind pure of soul
Let your morality fill all bowls
Alas! Your pride enlivens

Fair Edo maiden
Let loose your heart of gold
Sing for thy children, clear and bold
Sing for joy is waiting

Oh Edo maiden
A flower that blooms at noon
Hearken, your brave heart comes soon
Let down thus your heavy laden

Great Edo maiden
Diligence becomes your legacy
Amiability bestowed and industry
From mother earth and heaven

14 July 1790, the day democracy died

After the French revolution climaxed by the storming of the Bastille in 1789, the spirit in the air gave rise to expectations of the dividends of democracy.

Politicians however took over and precisely a year later in the 1790 Fete de la Federation, the story was different as the commoners were still without succour as a new set of tyrants in democratic garb took over. Till date, it is still an impossibility to define the boundaries of democratic norms and this inconsistency had been exported to all nooks and crannies of the globe.

Certainly nation states in Africa and most developing countries are definitively practicing a dead or dying brand of democracy, and the originators of the idea in Europe and America are certainly having a hard time ressurecting their own democracies, not mentioning those of others.

If you feel a love for the land

Lights, Camera, Action, Edo Style

They are there, tens of them all eager for a shot at the limelight. Eagerly they step into the rehearsal grounds at Brodricks Inn, a hangout for most of the budding actors and actresses that are within the Benin metropolis. Their display as the rehearsal went in full swing was adjudged okay by the producer and director and the curtains was called for the day.

This is the hub of the home video industry in Benin and a great many indigenous language productions had their conception here. Populated by young school leavers keen on occupying their time productively to undergraduates and proffessional actors. All together in one conundrum, giving life to some script.

As one of the actresses who called herself Osas said, "I love to play roles, and even if we are not as appreciated as our colleagues in Lagos and in the East, we must build our own local industry and promote our own culture. I believe that we are creating a legacy for the industry in Benin and in the entire Edo (state)."

Such is the enthusiasm expressed by these young men and women, crowds are mostly encountered on days scheduled for auditionings. Edoland is beginning to experience the birth of a new generation of artistes who are alive to their cultural endowments, they provide ample role models for the younger generations of Edo born.

This land is the Arts and cultural heartbeat of all Africa. The churning out of home videos, done in indigenous dialects and subtitled in English is a veritable means of re-engineering the cultural, social and political renaissance that is expected from a people that has been so gifted in resources and people.

It is hoped that recent reforms of the entertainment industry would not stifle the existence of these productions as the strategy employed should create room for the many positive effects that the burgeoning of indigenous productions creates for the individual as a part of society and also part of a nationality...

The announcement

See am, na me! Ajadrage, I dey announce BC
No try am, for we dey on stage, now y'all listen

From days of yore, the minds dem dey firm
The hearts of men and the rest from a womans bosom

Announce yourself, I be Edo Nation!
Ajadrage na me, copy?

Na so we go dey do am, come see for BC
"From thenceforth the trumpets blare, beyond the plains and the mountain tops

From henceforth the hornets nets been stirred and the wind worries even in the air
Whenceforth the sea's tell stories only they know for they grow as peers with the earth"

You know am?
No try yourself, great Bini, oma easy

Great Edo Nation
This na still part of the the introduction

Birthday blues

Give me a heart beat

"Dum dum"

A heart beat

"Dum dum"

Give me a hand

"Clap clap"

A hand

"Clap clap"

Give me a greeting

"Domo, wa domo"

A greeting

"Edo domo, wa domo"

Happy Birthday, HRM Omo N'Oba N'Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, Oba Erediauwa

Something to ponder about

What is the world coming into as we move beyond two thousand years of contemporary human society? What has been the one sole achievement of man in all these years that overwhelmingly overrides all others?

Ode to Edo

From ages of stealth in culture and wealth
A land from of old filled with people so bold
Come see for BC, visit the city
Come show for Edo, sample our ema and ogbono

See the streets so broad and big even the Portuguese dem really dig
The British came and were wide eyed, so our treasures they plundered
Now we be in the area between and betwixt the Niger
Now we reawaken, now we become stronger

Great Edo we hail, your walls of sand and clay
Great Edo we say, wa domo nowaen
Our land an inheritance of legends born and lived
Great Ewuare, Akenzua, Erediauwa, Oba gha to okpere

Come see for Edo, na here dem pour the sand
Where Noah, Shem, Ham and Japheth after the flood dem stand
The giants of the ancient days once trod this very soil
And the moat they stand today as evidence of their toil

A thousand years of mystery and another thousand years
A monument to victory as said in history
A fulfilling of prophecies amidst hypothesis
Now understand the soul and mind of a people good and kind

Great Edo calls one and all as we're of one accord
Before the men of babel released the spirits of discord
Osanobua the almighty looks down on one and all
And great Edo once again is standing straight and tall

Nigeria, all systems are go

Now that everything about the new political dispensation has settled down, with the various state executive inaugurations also replicated at the federal level and with the dissolution of the fifth house of assembly and the commencement of the majority freshmen and women in the legislative arm, there is an expectation of vibrancy in the manner of approach that the new administration of Shehu Umar Yar Adua is wont to take.

Exercising patience in the way he handles the assigning of responsibilities, he should ensure that he balances well the need for a kow towing to the systemic process of governance and a personal need for a fulfillment of those yearnings he holds close to his heart. The millions of Nigerians, not minding highfallutin talk by the political gladiators are united in the belief that this seemingly simple man can actually offer them a better deal than his immediate predecessor.

Having roots in an era of individuals where political ideology was a matter of principle, it would be interesting to see how he successfully wrests with the various pulls and pushes that emanates from the behemoth of a party on whose platform he has earned the mandate to lead one of the worlds most gifted and blessed nations of the earth.

This appelltion sadly has not been realised with almost fifty years as an independent nation state, encompassing the areas from the bight of Benin in the western coast of Africa to the very fringes of the great deserts to the north. This areas having being populated by various peoples and with varying cultures and beliefs over the centuries are now all lumped into fashioning out a collective destiny for their on nation.

Sadly, previous attempts at this venture has woefully failed due to a juxtaposition of the selfish interests of the political class influenced by both primitive capitalist accumulation tendencies and sinister motives to whipping up ethnic sentiments to gain ascendency. The nation survived a failed seccession and the notes of marginalisation are still being heard today, even from different unexpected quarters.

The man in charge now has a unique role thrust upon him. Much as most despise his predecessor, rational reasoning folk would agree that there were some needed changes that had to take place, and somehow or the other, some of these things would work. But the entire machinery of governance is a system, and should one part of the system fail, the efficiency of other parts is retarded. Yar Adua must as a matter of priority address head on issues of relevance to the majority of Nigerians who want to know why after all the encomiums being poured on the last administration, they still feel as far away from all the promised goodies.

A totality of issues must be addressed totally, Nigeria as a system is capable of running efficiently with abundance of reserves of energy which can be channelled to other productive ventures. The mind is a wonderful tool, our president should use his mind. We need a leader and not a president. The followers will have a direction if there is the presence of a leader, a president can just give orders and we all know what has turned out of the road construction orders and power resuscitation orders of the previous administaration.

Nigeria is on the threshold of a long and pregnant historical voyage and you, sir, Mr. President are the chief navigator. All systems are go.

Blair's African visit and the issues surrounding those Initiatives

It is very trite the way that the outgoing British Prime Minister is calling for the fullfillment of aid pledges to African nations. Much as it is in line with his initiative proposed at the G8 summit in 2005, it is somewhat contradictory reality that we experience.

The Edo nation and other such peoples of Africa over the centuries were strangers to poverty and want. Somehow, in a bid to civilise Africa according to her whim, Britain and the rest of Europe has foisted on Africa the upheavels, humanitys suffering and anguish and dissatisfaction and violence and thus more poverty arising from misrule (which method infact has been borrowed from the west).

Tony Blair should begin to champion the cause for a righting of the wrongs done and an all encompassing, just and thorough treatment of the issue be undertaken. One of the first among a list of sincere actions by any initiative should be to seek to adhere sincerely to prior treaties and agreements reached at meetings between these European countries.

The return of artefacts carted away from thriving and living cultures should become a priority as the presence of these artefacts would serve in no small way to improve the wellbeing of the people by employing varied ways of maximising their cultural, academic, spiritual, economic and political value as well as their legacy as a heritage.

No better place to commence this redress than the place which called Benin in Edo State, Nigeria.

This action would in no small way have a resounding impact on the developement of the area of Benin, this would have an effect all over the Niger delta region of Nigeria, creating stability for the superstructure of the country. The tourism and commerce potentials are immensely enormous and her millions of peoples yearn for something to complete them and satisfy them.

It is worthy of note that the Edos are among those regarded as peaceful and non aggressive among the many peoples of Nigeria who is viewed as a stabilising force in all of Africa. They however have the most cause to be a thorn in the flesh of not only the Nigerian psyche like her neighbours in the delta, but also to the entire globe, the risk is tempting, but the people are reasonable enough to be realistic.

Any initiative should consider the possibilities and probabilities and proceed to provide the neccessities, the opportunities would present themselves. Having held the position of the political head of the Britain that took away Benin's artefacts so many years ago, he might just be within the fringes of history's heroes if his Initiative is agreed and acted upon by the participants of G8 Summit in Heiligendamm in a few day's time. Nice to know also that a Germany who would soon be assuming leadership of the body is in support of this initiative.

The Edo nation applauds Angela Merkel, the Chancellor in Germany. It is hoped that these words would not turn out to be rhetorics as most are wont to be. The call for a timetable for the return of these relics would commence and we would see a great wrong by one people on another righted in our lifetime.

Ill intentions

These were the events that transpired prior to the invasion of Benin Kingdom in 1897. From the text of the following , it is obvious that there were already ulterior motives governing the minds of the officers involved.

Ralph Moor, the Consul General of the Niger Coast Protectorate, felt hampered by the Foreign Office's reluctance to allow him to mount an armed expedition against the kingdom of Benin. This is the background against which the events of 1987 occurred, when Moor was on leave in England and a newly arrived Acting Consul General, James Phillips took up his post.

Phillips had met Consul General Moor only once, in London, just before his departure. Moor, who had a history of violence against African rulers who did not submit to his authority, had already proposed a military operation against Benin but had been prevented by his more cautious superiors in Whitehall (military expeditions could become very expensive and produce disappointing returns).

Phillips intentions become clear in his despatches to the Foreign Office. Immediately on arrival he called a meeting of traders and officials and wrote a report to Whitehall:

"The whole of the English merchants represented on the river have petitioned the government for aid to enable them to keep their factories (trading posts) open, and last but not least, the revenues of this Protectorate are suffering ... I am certain that there is only one remedy. That is to depose the King of Benin ... I am convinced that pacific measures are now quite useless, and that the time has now come to remove the obstruction ... I do not anticipate any serious resistance from the people of the country, there is every reason to believe that they would be glad to get rid of their King but in order to obviate any danger, I wish to take up sufficient armed force ... I would add that I have reason to hope that sufficient ivory may be found in the King's house to pay the expenses incurred."

Story story

A very very long time ago, a certain man and his family lived peacefully and were relatively happy and prosperous. His children were strong and hardworking and their products were renowned far and wide.

After some while, some strangers came to visit and were welcomed for they were interested in how to make existence more enjoyable. However, while these strangers were in the mans house, they saw the beauty of the products of his sons and their minds changed.

They gave a dog a bad name and then hung it. They accused him wrongly before the world and then sought to humiliate their hosts. Their accomplices pillaged the mans house and went away with things that were not theirs.

Thus the children of the man were disillusioned and lost, but they continued to survive and they continued to exist, over the years and over the generations.

As they traverse the world, they see the belongings of their fathers and their brothers, the long lost family treasures that they only knew existed in tales and legends and their joy knew no bounds for here at last were the legacy of which was stolen.

Please, I would like someone to end this story for me taking into consideration that the latter paragraph of the above story was playing itself out today...

Ask yourself a question

Have the Edo people, both individually and collectively lived up to their fullest potentials as a people?

The Move Has Begun

There has been a wish held by all of Edo origins to relive the glory days of when the empire was flourishing. Contemporary Edo nation encompasses the majority of modern day Edo state, Delta state and most parts of the Western region of Nigeria up to the boundaries of Lagos state.

It is wishful thinking to believe that the old boundaries of that great empire could still be redrawn but the present Edo speaking peoples of Bini, Esan, Afenmai, Akoko Edo etc all belong to that great family who hitherto had the Oba sitting in Benin as the unifying factor and rallying force.

Though the present population of this people is as yet to be confirmed due to the various controversies that has plagued prior attempts at a population census, it is estimated that all Edo indigenes within the geographical delineation of the nation Nigeria and in the diaspora total over five million and this is being very modest.

There exists nations of the world today who have their sovereignty and can boast of less than half our population and that is a fact.

For over a hundred years, our valuables and cultural legacies pillaged during the punitive expedition of 1897 has been all over Europe, aside the financial behemoth that we have bequeathed to the globe, it is a travesty of justice that in this day and age where states and nations seek to live within the confines of our common global village, that certain vested interests are still holding on tight to those artifacts which were wrongfully wrested from our forefathers in the guise of a punitive expedition.

Meanwhile, it is a well known historical fact that these expeditions carried out in far flung places such as Japan and much closer to us here in Ghana were as a result of the need for conquests and more exactly arose during the scramble for Africa.

Now that the world has been civilized by these same interests, it behooves on all lovers of justice to seek for a reparation of these artifacts. There is no gain saying that were it to be in the present day, the perpetrators of the acts in Benin in 1897 would have been made to face war crimes charges of genocide for the acts done against the Bini people.

A hundred years have come and gone and no answers to the questions that were raised, rather we have seen the systematic erosion of historical values and norms.

We do not need another hundred years to elapse before we are given our due. Our cultural heritage must come home. With you as a part of our efforts, we shall not fail in this regard, and we will live to see that those our brothers who were sacrificed on the alter of colonial dominance and conquest did not make that sacrifice in vain.

We must one and all face this challenge as a united and Great Edo Nation...